BRUSSELS, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new package of "biting sanctions" against Russia, aimed at making the Kremlin "pay" for escalating the conflict in Ukraine.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press briefing here that the package comes after the "sham referenda in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia."

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the cyber institute led by one of his closest aides, Saud Al-Qahtani, signed a deal in early 2018 with the former head of the US National Security Agency, Keith Alexander, to help the Kingdom's de facto ruler train the next generation of Saudi hackers to take on its enemies, the Intercept reported yesterday.

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz named his son and heir, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as the Kingdom's Prime Minister and his second son, Prince Khalid as Defence Minister, a Royal Decree said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The reshuffle kept another son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as Energy Minister, the Royal Decree, carried by state news agency, SPA, said.

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: The global food crisis is a result of the West's "predatory policies," Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, said on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"The West is provoking a global food crisis … The cost of food on the world market has returned to the levels of the beginning of the year, but it is still 40 per cent higher than in 2020," Putin said at a meeting in Sochi, on Russia's agriculture sector.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (AP) — Hurricane Ian’s most damaging winds began hitting Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.

28 Sep 2022; MEMO: US Ambassador to Khartoum, John Godfrey, yesterday warned the Sudanese government of the repercussions of allowing Russia to build a military base in the Red Sea, the Anadolu news agency reported.

In an interview with the Tayyar newspaper, Godfrey said: "There are some reports that Russia is trying to implement the agreement it signed with ousted President Omar Al-Bashir in 2017 to establish a military base along the Red Sea."

LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Liz Truss came under growing pressure Wednesday from opponents — and inside her Conservative Party — to reverse announced tax cuts that are fueling a financial crisis in an already struggling economy.

The Bank of England stepped in to buy up government bonds in an attempt to stabilize the cost of borrowing after the government said last week that it would slash income tax and scrap a planned corporation tax hike, all while spending billions to cap soaring energy bills for homes and businesses.

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The Bank of England stepped into Britain's bond market to stem a market rout, pledging to buy around 65 billion pounds ($69 billion) of long-dated gilts after the new government's tax cut plans triggered the biggest sell-off in decades.

Citing potential risks to the stability of the financial system, the BoE also delayed on Wednesday the start of a programme to sell down its 838 billion pounds ($891 billion) of government bond holdings, which had been due to begin next week.

(AP) --- Shares of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment appeared to slow the fatal disease in a late-stage study.

The drugmaker said early results showed that its treatment, lecanemab, reduced patient clinical decline by 27% when compared to a placebo or fake drug after 18 months of the infused treatment.

Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.

NEW YORK (AP) — Soon enough, a bedside Amazon device might know whether you’re sleeping — or not.

The e-commerce and tech giant said Wednesday it will start selling a device later this year that can track sleeping patterns without a wristband.

The device, called Halo Rise, will use no-contact sensors and artificial intelligence to measure a user’s movement and breathing patterns, allowing the device to track sleep stages during the night, the Seattle-based company said. Amazon said the device “does not include cameras or microphones,” and will go for $139.99.

28 Sep 2022; MEMO: The Iranian parliament is divided over the judicial and security forces' crackdown on anti-government protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in prison last week.

The Iranian news agency IRNA said conservative lawmaker, Zohreh Lajevardi, said the recent protests had been organised by Iran's enemies and demanded severe punishments for participants.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting Pacific Island leaders for a two-day summit as the U.S. looks to counter China’s military and economic influence in the region. Pacific Island leaders, meanwhile, see an even more pressing concern: climate change.